As Karoline moved away from them when they got in line for the Indiana Jones exhibit, Harper felt her stomach sink. You’d better not be tattling on me, she thought, but when her sister glanced back at her with a hint of surprise on her face, Harper knew what was going on.

“Damn it, Axel,” she muttered to herself.

“What’d you say, Mommy?” Everly was so excited about the ride she couldn’t keep from hopping and twirling.

Supremely conscious of her sister talking on the phone ten yards away, Harper pulled her coat tighter. Southern California never got too cold, but it was chilly today. “Nothing.”

“Aren’t you coming with us, Aunt Karoline?” Piper called out.

Karoline didn’t respond. She was too deep in conversation.

Terrance answered for her, “She’s not much for the rougher rides. We’ll let her off the hook on this one, okay?”

When they reached the front of the line, Karoline was still on the phone but waved for them to go on without her.

Harper kept her smile firmly in place for the sake of her girls, her nieces and her brother-in-law, and pretended to enjoy herself as they loaded up and then careened around in the cart, but her stomach was in knots when she got off, and it had nothing to do with the ride.

Karoline was off the phone and waiting for them as they emerged.

“How was it?” she asked Piper, who ran ahead of them.

“It was awesome!” Piper turned around to face Harper as she, Everly, Terrance and the twins caught up. “Can we go again?”

“We have a FastPass for Space Mountain. Let’s go there first,” Terrance suggested.

As they started off, Karoline caught Harper’s arm. “I have to go to the bathroom. Harper and I will meet you at the exit when you get off.”

“You’re not coming with us?” Everly, in particular, seemed to be enjoying the fact that Harper was acting more like herself than she had since Axel moved out.

Harper exchanged a look with Karoline. She didn’t see why there had to be any big rush to explain what’d happened with Tobias, but she knew her sister. If Karoline was upset, her shock would only turn to anger if Harper put it off. “I’m betting you’ll want to ride it more than once. I’ll go the next time, okay, honey?”

Reluctantly, Everly let go of her hand and Harper waved as the small group rushed off.

Once they were gone, Karoline didn’t even turn toward the restrooms. “What happened after we left LA?” she asked.

How much had Axel told her?